


A Pirate's Pride

by irishgirl321



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan - Freeform, Captain Swan Baby, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 21:03:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12779472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishgirl321/pseuds/irishgirl321
Summary: The moment they waited so long for is finally here.*Spoilers for 7x02.*





	A Pirate's Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I'm aware there's a lot of ship-to-ship hate in the OUAT fandom. If you don't agree with this ship, that's fine but please no hate comments or "omg why do you ship this?!" I wouldn't dream of coming onto your works and saying things like that even though I have my own views on other ships, so let's all play nice here. 
> 
> Anyhow, I decided to stop watching OUAT after 7x02, but because we'll probably never see the Captain Swan baby I just HAD to write a fic on where I'd like it to go. Hope you all enjoy!

He’s in the hospital room during the delivery, gripping her hand tightly. He’s kissing her hair and murmuring words of support that he isn’t sure she even hears over her screams. But he’s there, and she knows it. Emma may have to deliver the baby alone, but it doesn’t mean that she has to _be_ alone. And it’s his child after all. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.

Her face is contorted in pain, sweat coating her brow and he wonders if something is _wrong_. He doesn’t really know too much about childbirth, having had an all-male crew for over a century. He’s worried, but for Emma’s sake he can’t let on that he’s anxious. So he just holds onto her and tells her it’s all going to be okay, that she’s doing amazing, that it will all be over soon.

He looks to the midwife in desperation, trying to glean something from her face. She’s too focused on Emma and does not catch his look As he does he sees the worried expression on Snow White’s face. She’s at the other side of the hospital bed, holding Emma’s other hand. She sees him looking at her and her eyes meet his, her mouth a tight, worried line.

He isn’t sure if it’s just a mother’s concern, or if she too thinks that something may be wrong. He wants to ask, to seek reassurance, but he can’t. Emma can’t get upset at this moment. Plus, he isn’t even sure if he wants to know what she’s thinking.

“You’re almost there, one more push,” the midwife urges, causing Killian and Snow to break their gazes.

“Come on, love, just one more,” Killian murmurs into her ear as he smooths Emma’s hair away from her face.

Emma’s eyes close, her hand becoming tighter in his grasp and she pushes with all her might. He can feel her strain in her grip. The scream she lets out is agonizing, long. Her nails bite into Killian’s skin but he grits his teeth and doesn’t let go of her. Emma tenses, her entire body strained, and for a moment nothing happens. A sudden ripple runs through her, and then she slumps back in exhaustion.

The screeching wail of a new-born fills the air. It’s loud and high-pitched. Killian freezes. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard anything more beautiful. He presses a kiss to Emma’s forehead, but his eyes are all the while on the partially hidden figure of midwife at the foot of the bed, and what she has now taken into her arms.

A nurse hurries over with a white towel, and he can see the midwife wrapping something in it. Something small, and pink.

“Is he okay?” Emma pants out as she tries to struggle upright to get a better look. Killian supports her back to help her rise, he’s not sure she has the strength to do it on her own.

“He is a she,” the midwife smiles. “And she is fine.”

_A girl._

_A daughter._

Emma lets out a sob, and he turns to make sure that she is okay. She looks at him with tear-filled eyes but the smile on her face is one of pure happiness. He grins back at her, unable to speak, and mutely kisses her forehead again. She closes her eyes as she smiles, hearing the unspoken words.

_Well done, love._

“Do you want to come and take her, dad?” the midwife smiles at Killian as he turns back around.

He can only nod dumbly, still not really able to speak just yet. His eyes return to the little bundle in the white towel, his gaze burning with intensity. He stands, and feels like he’s floating as the room falls away, the only thing he can focus on is the baby.

_His baby._

Not conscious of his movements, he stands and begins to move towards the midwife and the bundle. His hand squeezes Emma’s once before he lets it go, trailing his fingers along the mattress of the bed as he continues to walk. He can hear Emma’s mother whispering praise to her. He reaches the midwife, who is smiling down at the towel in her arms. She looks up and then shifts her arms, passing it to him. Passing _her_ to him.

Killian takes her gently, and the midwife helps him position her in his arms. He holds her in the crook of his arms, and then takes a deep breath and looks down into her little pink face.

He doesn’t expect it. It’s like a lightning bolt has struck him. There are emotions swirling inside him, a mix of emotions that he shouldn’t feel all at once, but that it makes perfect sense that he does.

First is love. Love like he has never known before. He loves Emma, by God he does. But it’s not like this. The wave of adoration, the fierce protectiveness, and heart-wrenching love he feels as he look at the baby girl in his arms is not akin to anything that he has ever experienced. It hits him like a truck, and he knows there’s no recovery from it. He knows that there is no coming back. He will never escape this feeling. And he’d never want to.

Joy is there too. Amazement. He traces his hook along her face. Not the pointed end, but the blunted, soft one. He is very sure to remember that, to remember the blunted side. But he wants her to grow used to the feel of it, to not be startled by the cold metal that replaced his warm skin.

This is his child. This is something he never thought he would have after Milah had passed. Something he never thought he’d have when Neal had returned to Emma. And something, something that in his most secret heart he began to think he may never have after all the years of trying with Emma. But she is here now, and she is so, so perfect.

She blinks up at him with hazy blue eyes, _his_ eyes, and next thing he is gripped with ice-cold fear. This is a happy moment, fear is not meant to here. But it’s not _just_ fear, it is _Fear_. He gazes down at the tiny, fragile infant as his mind flickers through all the horrors the universe holds. Horrors that will surround his daughter. Horrors he shall have to protect her from.

“Killian?” Emma’s voice is quiet.

He jerks out of his trance and snaps his head towards her. He feels guilty, he’s standing there away from her, holding their baby. But she doesn’t look upset. There’s a soft, tender look on her face. He understands it. He has waited far too long to see her holding their child too.

So he carefully walks back over to her and passes her the baby. Snow has gone. He didn’t notice her leave but he is not surprised by that. He figures that she has gone to get David, who is in the waiting room with young Neal. And she also probably wanted to give them a moment alone. He appreciates that.

Emma’s eyes are suddenly fearful as she takes the little girl from his arms. They look at him in desperation, wanting reassurance. He doesn’t understand and stares back at her quizzically. She looks terrified as she holds the infant.

“Am I doing this okay?” she asks the midwife somewhat hesitantly, and then he gets it.

Despite having held her younger brothers and other babies, she never held her own before. She’s not sure if she is doing it exactly right.

“You’re doing great!” the midwife smiles and Emma seems to relax a bit.

She returns her eyes to their baby girl, and a soft smile graces her face. Her face fills with the same wonder and adoration that Killian feels. She sniffles slightly, and Killian sees a glistening tear fall from her cheek and down onto the towel the infant is wrapped in.

“Are you alright, love?” he asks tenderly, kissing her temple as he slides an arm around her shoulders and sits down on the bed next to her.

She nods silently, and then the baby’s arm frees itself from its cocoon of blanket and reaches out to touch her face. However, the arm is not long and doesn’t go the distance. Instead, it waves in the air, centimetres from Emma’s face. She laughs, her face lighting up. She reaches out with her free hand, and her index finger touches the baby’s reaching hand gently. Tiny stubby fingers wrap around Emma’s bigger one. Killian thinks his heart might burst.

“Have we decided on a name?” Emma says. “I know we’d said Liam if it was a boy. Since we thought she would be a boy. We never really decided on a name for a girl.”

Hook reaches out carefully, his hand peeling the blanket back so he can get a better look at his daughter’s face.

“Something with meaning,” he trails off into deep thought. Then, a wide smile cracks across his face. “What about Leia? Similar enough to Liam, and it has that memory attached to it…” He was referencing Emma’s alias when they went back in time.

Emma laughed, amused at something he didn’t understand. “Maybe not Leia.”

“Why?”

“I would never be able to take her seriously. Plus, I want the kid to be able to find her name on a key chain.”

“Alright,” Hook concedes. He’s a little disappointed but he tries to hide it. He thought she would have liked that idea.

“How about Leah?” Emma says after a few seconds. “It’s more… Normal. As close to ‘Liam’ as ‘Leia’ is. And it kind of still relates to our adventure?”

Killian mulls it over, but not for long.

_Leah._

He likes it. It fits. It’s a nod to his late brother, and a nod to him and Emma and the start of their relationship.

“It’s perfect,” he smiles.

Emma’s face shines with delight, and he knows he is returning the look.

“Princess Leah,” Emma sighs happily, playing with the baby’s tiny hands.

The title shocks Killian a bit. He keeps forgetting that his child is royalty, and furthermore the heir to the throne. He was a pirate, and his daughter will one day be a queen. It would be enough to throw anyone off. His mind wanders to all the customs surrounding the birth of a royal infant. If he was honest, he wasn’t playing too much attention when Snow and David sat him down to tell him about it.

A knock on the door drew his attention. Snow and David are peering into the room. Prince Charming, now a grandfather, looks concerned as his eyes find his daughter. He pushes open the door and strides in, intent to check if she’s okay. The sight of the baby brings him to a halt mid-step, as if he had forgotten there was a baby.

He goes to speak but his voice catches in his throat. Killian thinks that he can see tears well up in the man’s eyes. David then clears his throat, and speaks. “A girl?”

“Yeah, Dad,” Emma responds. "Where's Neal?" She peers around him, trying to spy her younger brother.

"Archie is minding him," Snow explains

David stares at the baby, and there’s something akin to longing on his face. Killian thinks he knows what it is. Prince Charming loved his baby daughter, and he lost her. Seeing Emma with her own child must stir up some jumbled cloud of emotions.

“Would you like to hold her?” Killian finds himself asking, wanting to do something to make his father-in-law feel better.

He couldn't imagine the pain of having to given Leah away at this moment, even for her own good. Suddenly, Killian thinks he understands David a bit better.

Mary Margaret lays a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder. He looks at her briefly, and then back to Killian. His face twists into a small, happy smile and he nods once.

Emma shifts, leaning forward as far as she can to pass him the child. Her father moves closer, but before he takes the child he leans in to hug his daughter, his hand going up to clutch the back of her head as he kisses her on the cheek. She leans her head into him, returning the affection. After a few moments he draws back, to smile down at the bundle.

“She’s gorgeous, Emma. She looks just like you.”

Emma tries to hide how pleased she is by her father’s comment, but everyone can see it. “I think she looks like Killian,” she replies almost shyly as David takes the child from her.

He straightens, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet and rocking the baby back and forth. Killian can just make out little hands waving around, trying to touch David’s face. The prince lifts the baby closer to his face, whispering to it.

“I think she looks like you both. The perfect mix,” Snow steps forward to join the little group huddled around the bed. She and Emma share a fond look. “You did so well, Emma. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Aye, love. You’ve done great,” Killian pulls her close.

“I had some help,” Emma whispers somewhat suggestively.

Killian winks at her, and then Leah picks that moment to let out a loud wail. David looks a bit shocked, probably that someone doesn’t find him charming. The wails become shrieking cries as Leah starts properly crying, and her grandfather looks lost.

Killian peels himself away from Emma, hopping off the side of the bed. “Here, let me take her. Maybe she just needs her father’s arms.”

David obliges, and Killian takes the baby and brings her to his chest. He starts to soothe her as she cries, whispering declarations of love and devotion. And her name. Her name he is whispering like a prayer. He tells her about her nursery waiting for her at home, and how hard it can be to construct a crib when you have a hook instead of a hand.

Eventually, Leah settles down, like she finds his voice soothing. She gurgles quietly into his chest in a calm, content manner and he grins again. He didn’t think he could smile so much in one day. His face is slightly sore now that he thinks about it. The baby squirms slightly, but when Killian looks down her eyes are closed. Her pudgy cheeks rest against his chest as she sleeps. She hiccups a little. It’s the most adorable sound he has ever heard.

“Goodnight, little pirate,” he says softly, pressing his lips against the top of her head. He can feel fuzzy baby hairs under his kiss. He looks down and notes that they look blonde. “Dream well. Your father is here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I MAY (and this is a very tentative 'may') add more chapters in the future, based around Killian watching Leah grow up but have no immediate plans to so for now it's just gonna be the one chapter. So if you want to get a notification if I add more, hit subscribe!
> 
> Let me know if you like it, it would encourage a continuation!


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